U.S. private contractors, until now the biggest private-sector employers in Iraq, are preparing to leave as U.S. money runs out and Iraqi ministries take charge of the reconstruction effort. "We are drawing down," said Ken Oscar, Fluor Corp.'s vice president for strategy. "We are not done by any stretch of the imagination, but we are drawing down." The engineering and construction giant at one time had 250 to 300 people from the United States in Iraq, and employed roughly 20,000 Iraqis. Now, as the U.S.-funded part of the reconstruction effort comes to a close, Fluor has, perhaps, 100 Americans left in the country and is phasing out the Iraqi jobs. "The net [result] is a lot less employment for Iraqis," Mr. Oscar said, even though much work remains to be done. Most U.S.-funded projects are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, and it is unlikely that any significant new U.S. funds will be forthcoming. ... http://www.washingtontimes.com

Gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms kidnapped two German engineers Tuesday in northern Iraq, and British troops detained several police officers among more than a dozen people linked to a series of killings, bombings and kidnappings in the southern city of Basra. The U.S. military said four American military personnel were killed in separate incidents on Monday — two soldiers in a Baghdad roadside bombing and two Marines in a vehicle accident west of the capital. The deaths brought the number of U.S. military personnel killed since the war began in 2003 to at least 2,235, according to an Associated Press count. The kidnapped Germans worked at an Iraqi state-owned detergent plant near the oil refinery in Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad and were seized by gunmen wearing Iraqi army uniforms, said police Capt. Falah al-Janabi. ...http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-01-24-germans-kidnapped_x.htm?csp=34

The 3D structure of the virus which causes Aids has been revealed for the first time, scientists say. The variable size and shape of HIV has made it hard to map, the team said in the journal Structure. So the UK-German team took hundreds of images of viruses, that are 60 times smaller than red blood cells, and used a computer programme to combine them. Oxford University's Professor Stephen Fuller said the 3D map would assist in understanding how the virus grows. He told the BBC: "You say can you show me the structure of the HIV virus and the question is which one. "HIV is very variable. It varied in diameter by a factor of three." ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4642940.stm

Canada has swung to the right in a general election after 12 years of Liberal rule increasingly overshadowed by allegations of corruption. Conservative Stephen Harper is set to succeed Paul Martin as prime minister, but will need partners to govern. "Tonight, friends, our great country has voted for change," Mr Harper said in his victory speech, pledging to lower taxes and root out corruption. Mr Martin said he would step down as Liberal leader. In a speech at his party headquarters in Calgary, Mr Harper hailed the election as a sign of change. "And Canadians have asked our party to take the lead in delivering that change. We will honour your words and deliver on our commitments," he said. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/americas/4641954.stm

A corporate jet skidded off an airport runway and crashed Tuesday morning, bursting into flames, officials said.Fire personnel told KNSD-TV in San Diego that at least three people on board the twin-engine plane perished. The jet skidded off the west end of the runway around 6:40 a.m., Bill Polick, spokesman for the San Diego County Department of Public Works, said. Television footage showed flames billowing from the aircraft, which appeared to have hit a building....http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11006288/from/RSS/

U.S. military officials confirmed six soldiers, 4 Marines, and two airmen died in a spate of incidents. Ten of the 12 deaths were caused by improvised explosive devices. Two Multi-National Division-Baghdad soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in southeastern Baghdad on Monday.One soldier was killed instantly while the other died while being transported to a military hospital.On the northern outskirts of Baghdad, two U.S. Marines were killed in an accident near Al Taqaddum, also on Monday, a U.S. military statement said....http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=a0b61048de09e133